England may have ‘stagnated’ in 2016, concedes Cook

Alastair Cook has conceded that England’s Test fortunes may have “stagnated” over the past 12 months, but confirms he will not rush any decision on the future of his Test captaincy, in spite of another humiliating defeat in the fifth and final match of England’s tour of India.

Cook’s dismissal for 49 in the first hour after lunch was the catalyst for another dramatic collapse on the final afternoon in Chennai, as England lost ten wickets for 104 runs in 48.2 overs – including their last six for 15 – to slump to defeat by an innings and 75 runs, and a 4-0 series loss.

The defeat was England’s eighth in 17 Tests in 2016, equalling their record number of losses for a calendar year, and they will finish the year at No. 5 in the Test rankings, some way below the levels they might have anticipated after winning both the Ashes and a memorable away Test against South Africa last year.

When asked by Sky Sports if England had “stagnated” under his leadership, Cook responded: “That’s a fair shout, you can say whatever you want now, if I turn around here and slag everyone off and use emotive language, I’m …

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